North Carolina

The relationship between the teams ended with UConn's historic 86-35 win Monday at Gampel Pavilion, the largest defeat in the history of North Carolina basketball, men or women. After winning five of the first seven games, the Tar Heels lost the last five. The final four were by an average of 37.0 points. “Basically, a lot of the reason is recruiting,” Tar Heels coach Sylvia Hatchell said. “They consistency get the best players in the country and that helps a lot. We'd always been able to handle their pressure, but we don't quite have the same kind of athletic team as we've had in the past.

I was surprised to see all of the letters and comments from people who are negative about this state. This is the third state I have lived in, and it is by far the best (the other two were California and North Carolina). The weather is beautiful -- all seasons, even winter. The salaries are fantastic; I almost doubled my teacher salary moving up here from North Carolina, where there are no unions to fight for better pay. The school system is fabulous, especially in our quiet farm town of Suffield; my kids love going to school.

By JOHN ALTAVILLA, jaltavilla@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, May 5, 2012

Diamond DeShields, the No. 1 target in the Class of 2013 for the UConn women, has decided to attend the University of North Carolina, according to HoopGurlz.com DeShields, a 6-2 guard and former USA Basketball teammate of many Huskies, is the daughter of former major league baseball infielder Delino DeShields. She is the second top UConn recruit to choose North Carolina over the Huskies, joining Xylina McDaniel, a forward UConn hoped would join the Class of 2012. Duke, Maryland and Tennessee also were in the running for DeShields.

NORWALK — A 42-year old former Norwalk resident was arrested in North Carolina and charged with first-degree assault in a stabbing in the city in November. U.S. marshals in Charlotte, N.C., charged Monique Hodge, 42, with first-degree assault on a warrant. Hodge was extradited to Connecticut. Norwalk police said the stabbing occurred on Nov. 11 and that the victim sustained "serious injuries. " Norwalk police detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Hodge in July.

No. 17 Florida State 85, No. 4 North Carolina 82: Michael Snaer scored 18 points and Florida State held on to beat North Carolina, 85-82 on Sunday, for its first-ever ACC tournament championship after P.J. Hairston's game tying 3-point attempt hit off the back of the rim at the buzzer for North Carolina. Deividas Dulkys added 16 points for the third-seeded Seminoles (24-9), who led throughout the second half but had to sweat out the final minutes after nearly letting a 14-point advantage slip away.

By JOHN ALTAVILLA, jaltavilla@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, January 16, 2012

There are days when playing the UConn women is the most futile endeavor in sports. On those days, the opponent is so overwhelmed, so out of its element, that the game seems over when the bus pulls up to the building. For an example, we direct your attention to the World Vision Classic. But until Monday, it was extremely rare for the Huskies to deliver this class of thumping to a team with a national pedigree, in a major conference and ranked in the Top 25. Really, when was the last time you read a final score like this?

Site: Gampel PavilionTime: 4 p.m. TV: CBS Series: North Carolina, 2-0 Last meeting: North Carolina 75-64, March 21, 1998 in the NCAA East Regional final. Of note: The Tar Heels have lost four in a row and, as if that weren't enough, they will be without leading scorer Jason Capel. They have played better since getting blown out at Maryland (112-79), losing close games to Virginia and Florida State. They are shooting only 42.7 percent (33.6 percent from three) and are averaging 16.6 turnovers.

By NICHOLAS RONDINONE, nrondinone@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, January 30, 2014

BRISTOL - A Bristol man being held in North Carolina in connection with a Bristol homicide did not waive extradition to Connecticut and is due back in court there on Thursday. Joshua Daniels, 26, of Conlon St., is being held as a fugitive from justice in High Point, N.C. He was arrested Sunday night during a traffic stop. He was wanted by Bristol police in connection with the fatal stabbing early Saturday morning of a Bristol teenager at a party on Irving Street. Bristol police obtained an arrest warrant for Daniels charging him with the murder of Joey Klett, 19. police said.

By ALEX PUTTERMAN and LORI RILEY, aputterman@courant.com, August 23, 2014

NEW HAVEN — Three points from defeat, Sílvia Soler-Espinosa was frustrated. The 26-year-old Spaniard had already endured two losses in WTA finals this year and now faced a third. She and her partner — 28-year-old Slovenian Andreja Klepac — had lost four of five points and trailed by two Saturday in the 10-point tiebreak to determine the Connecticut Open doubles championship. Soler-Espinosa slapped at a loose ball, knocking it off the court. "I was a little bit not feeling so good, feeling a little bit of the pressure," Soler-Espinosa said afterward.

By MATTHEW CONYERS, mconyers@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, June 18, 2014

NEW LONDON – After finishing 16th in the heptathlon at the New Balance Nationals in North Carolina this past weekend, Jillian Kilmer hopped on a plane and headed home as quickly possible. Kilmer, a sophomore for St. Paul Catholic in Bristol, didn't have time to waste. She had the Connecticut heptathlon championship to get ready for on Tuesday. "I did well there, so my goal was to do a lot better [back in Connecticut]," Kilmer said. She did. With her coach still back in North Carolina, Kilmer climbed 15 spots from last year to complete a busy five days and finish third in the two-day Heptathlon Championship at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

"Twenty-four times" is Thom Tillis' answer, delivered with a faint flicker of a Cheshire Cat smile. The question was: How many times, that his campaign knows of, has Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan of North Carolina said on camera that under Obamacare, if you like your health insurance, you can keep it? Tillis will be sharing some of her video promises with voters as he seeks to become part of a Republican Senate majority in January 2015. Tillis will also suggest that Obamacare, which Hagan pluckily says she would vote for again, portends a dismal future of government-run health care akin to that offered in today's alarming VA hospitals, including a troubled one in Durham.

By Captain Greg Sweeney, deputy commander cadets, 399th Danbury Composite Squadron Cadet Tech Sergeant Noah Stillman, a cadet with Civil Air Patrol's Danbury Composite Squadron, found a lost child while vacationing in North Carolina. Cadet Tech Sergeant Stillman and his family were vacationing with family friends in Corolla, North Carolina over spring break. On April 12, shortly after arriving, the Stillman's learned that the three year old son of another family who was staying just down the street was missing.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Maggie Lucas and Dara Taylor each scored a game-high 22 points as Penn State knocked off Florida 83-61 in a second-round NCAA tournament matchup Tuesday. Taylor added a team-high eight rebounds and Ariel Edwards turned in an 18-point performance for third-seeded Penn State (24-7), which will travel to Stanford to take on the second-seeded Cardinals in the Sweet 16. Talia East chipped in with nine points and seven rebounds and Kaliyah Mitchell contributed eight points, seven boards and a game-high four steals off the bench for the Lady Lions, who improved to 19-5 all-time in home games during the tournament.

In the ongoing debate among letter writers over the state tax advantages or lack thereof of leaving Connecticut for North Carolina, it has not yet been mentioned that North Carolina receives $1.08 in federal spending for every dollar residents pay in federal taxes, while Connecticut receives only 69 cents in federal spending for every dollar we pay in federal taxes. That's pretty ironic considering how much more prevalent the feeling is in North Carolina that federal taxes should be greatly reduced.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: North Carolina center Sean May had a performance that would make Bill Walton proud, let alone his father, Scott, who played for the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers. Sean May came close to personal perfection, hitting 10 of 11 from the field and 6 of 8 from the free-throw line for 26 points. He also had 10 rebounds, eight of them on the defensive end. In 34 minutes on the floor May gave every ounce of effort. James Augustine (no points) fouled out in nine minutes trying to defend May. For all those reasons, May was named the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

I was a bit confused by Robert Miller's March 4 letter stating that, after 78 years, he has finally left Connecticut for West End, North Carolina due to weather and taxes ["Costs, Weather"]. I can understand the weather argument -- West End, N.C., gets only 2 inches of snow a year, and a 78-year-old shouldn't have to shovel a New England blizzard. But Connecticut's income tax was passed a quarter-century ago, when Mr. Miller was 55. He's just waking up to that now? And taxes in North Carolina are no bargain compared with Connecticut's.

By JOHN ALTAVILLA, jaltavilla@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, February 28, 2014

STORRS — Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley arrived at UConn four years ago with three other freshmen who all initially aspired to do their part to grow the program's legacy. On Saturday, senior day at Gampel Pavilion before No. 1 UConn plays Rutgers in the final home game of the season, only Dolson and Hartley remain. And they have done more than could have been expected, developing into All-Americans and record-setters, helping lead UConn to three Final Fours and the 2013 national championship.